Posts under the ‘News’ category

The Graduate School is pleased to announce the recipients of the fall 2012 finishing fellowships. The fellowships were made available by the support of the Graduate School.

The recipients were:

• Qi Gao, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
• Pradeep Kumar, PhD candidate in Engineering Physics
• Kenny Ng, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering
• Le Xin, PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering
• Mimi Yang, PhD candidate in Chemistry
• Xiaoliang Zhong, PhD candidate in Physics

Finishing fellowship applications for summer 2013 are due no later than 4pm on March 6, 2013. Application procedures and photographs of recent recipients can be found online.

Graduate engineering students Jen Fuller and Kaye LaFond were interviewed on “Copper Country Today,” a radio program broadcast by WHKB-FM and WOLV-FM in Houghton. They were talking about the Parent-Daughter Engineering Exploration scheduled for next Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Great Lakes Research Center, and about career opportunities and their experiences as women in engineering.

Listen at Women Engineering

Published in TechToday

A new partnership between Michigan Tech and the US Peace Corps will enable returning Peace Corps volunteers to attend graduate school at Michigan Tech while putting their Peace Corps skills to work. Michigan Tech is one of the universities recently selected by the Peace Corps to offer new or expanded Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program graduate degrees, which include scholarships and degree-related internships in underserved American communities.

The new fellowships will support graduate degrees in biological sciences, forestry, applied ecology, forest ecology and management, forest molecular genetics and biotechnology, environmental policy and industrial archaeology. All returned Peace Corps volunteers will be eligible to apply for the Coverdell program. Currently, 12 alumni who received bachelor’s degrees at Michigan Tech are serving in the Peace Corps. They also will be eligible for the new program when they finish their service.

“Michigan Tech is extremely pleased to be selected to participate in the Coverdell Fellows Program,” said Graduate School Dean Jacqueline Huntoon. “With this program, we will continue to strengthen our collaboration with the Peace Corps, building on our existing programs for returned Peace Corps volunteers and students in our Peace Corps Master’s International programs.

Read more..

Published in Tech Today by Jenn Donovan, public relations director

Drivers of many new cars will have better taillights, thanks to a partnership between Michigan Technological University students and 3M.

Michigan Tech’s Consumer Products Manufacturing and Blue Marble Security Enterprise–teams of students that take on challenges faced by industry–tested 3M’s Uniform Lighting Lens (ULL), investigating the optical properties of the material. Four years later, that material is now on the market and will be debuting on more cars in the near future.

The project was “a good example of getting students involved with problems of interest to industry,” said Brett Spigarelli, a PhD candidate is chemical engineering at Michigan Tech and advisor to the Consumer Products Manufacturing Enterprise. on Mountain native, said. “It’s a lot of what you do when you get out there on the job,” explained Spigarelli, an Iron Mountain native who worked on the 3M project as an undergraduate at Michigan Tech.

ULL is designed to better disperse the light of LEDs (light emitting diode), increasing effectiveness while still enjoying the same energy savings compared to halogen bulbs. The challenge was in applying ULL, a film, in industrial applications and ensuring that it would hold up to the manufacturing process. This was where 3M asked Michigan Tech students to step in early in 2009.

For the full story, see taillight.

Published in TechToday by Kevin Hodur, creative writer

Christy Oslund, coordinator of Student Disability Services, wrote the chapter, “Building a Professional Ethos on LinkedIn,” which is included in the text, “Online Credibility and Digital Ethos: Evaluating Computer-Mediated Communication,” (2012, IGI Global). This collection was edited by Michigan Tech Humanities alumni Moe Folk ’09 and Shawn Apostle ’11.

During the 2012 – 2013 academic year, the King-Chavez-Parks Initiative is piloting a partnership with the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity, an independent faculty development center that is 100% dedicated to supporting graduate students, post-docs, and faculty members in making successful transitions throughout their academic careers.

The NCFDD provides the following opportunities for Fellows:

DISCUSSION FORUM

Provides Fellows with access to private, moderated discussion forums. This is the online community where members gather to discuss skills and strategies that will increase productivity and work/life balance, as well as problem-solve, exchange support, and experience peer-mentoring. The NCFDD’s most popular forum is the Monthly Writing Challenge. It’s a great place to go if Fellows want support in establishing a daily writing practice.

MONTHLY TELE-WORKSHOPS

Each month, the NCFFD hosts a tele-workshop that digs into one of the 10 Keys to Thriving in the Academy. Additionally, each month they host a guest expert on the topics that members have requested. If Fellows are unable to attend the workshops live, don’t worry. The NCFDD records each one and provides access to the audio, slides and transcripts. That way, Fellows can enjoy the materials at their convenience.

MONDAY MOTIVATOR

Fellows will receive a weekly email that includes a productivity tip as well as a little electronic support and encouragement.

MONTHLY BUDDY MATCH

For Fellows who would like a writing buddy, the NCFFD will match members at the beginning of each month.

Please consider joining this online community where you can share, connect, exchange, and grow in the skills that will help you to truly thrive in your academic career.

Contact Michelle Snitgen of the Lansing, MI, KCP Intiative, with any questions (517-373-0273)  or snitgenm@michigan.gov.

The Biotechnology Research Center Announces the Recipients for its Fall 2012 Travel Grants

Graduate Recipients include:

• Tayloria Adams (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (poster)
• Felix Adom (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (podium)
• Zainab I. Alshoug (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (poster)
• Ran An (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (poster)
• Xiaochu Ding (SCH); POLY-ACS 9th Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Symposium (poster)
• Stephanie Hamilton (EBE); American Society of Biomechanics Annual Meeting (poster)
• Sean Hopkins (EBE); BMES 2012 Annual Conference (poster)
• Robert Larson (SBL); SLEEP 2012 26th Annual Meeting (poster)
• Venkata Ramana R. Pidatala (SBL); ASA, CSSA and SSSA Annual Meetings (poster)
• Aparupa Sengupta (SBL); Society for Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (poster)
• Maria Tafur Agudelo (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (podium)
• Khrupa S. Vijayaragavan (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (podium)
• Shuaicheng Wang (SMAG); The Genetic Analysis Workshops (podium and poster)
• Xu Xiang (SCH); 245th ACS National Meeting (poster)
• Chungja Yang (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (poster)
• Huan Yang (SBL); SLEEP 2012 26th Annual Meeting (poster)
• Jingtuo Zhang (SCH); 244th ACS National Meeting (poster)

Published in TechToday

Do you know any students looking for a great experience?  On Thursday, Dec. 6, at 5 p.m., they can interview for the chance to join a special Spring Break trip. The Silicon Valley Experience 2013 will take 15 lucky students to visit California’s technology and innovation hub from March 10 to 15.

To win a spot at the significantly reduced cost of $300, all they have to do is answer one question in 90 seconds: “Why would I like to work and live in Silicon Valley?”  Their answer will be given to the trip coordinators, and final trip participants will be selected and notified before the end of the semester.

This year, the participants will tour of some of the most innovative companies on the west coast. Last year, the group visited Google, Brocade, Cisco, Kyocera, Plug and Play, and other companies.

This event is open to both undergrad and graduate students of all majors. They should email Professor Russ Louks (SBE) at rwlouks@mtu.edu with your name, major and year by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5, to participate. A schedule will be sent out early on Dec. 6 with the time you will be interviewed in AOB 101.

For more information, see Silicon Valley, or contact Louks at rwlouks@mtu.edu or Assistant Professor Andre Laplume (SBE) at aolaplum@mtu.edu .

Printed in TechToday

On Thursday and Friday, Feb. 21 and 22, the Graduate Student Government (GSG) will sponsor the Graduate Research Colloquium (GRC) which will feature sessions that include both oral and poster presentations by grad students from departments across the University in an environment that simulates a professional conference.

There are prizes for first-, second- and third-place winners from each session (oral and poster) and all participants will be given certificates of appreciation. In addition to these prizes, merit awards will also be presented to one outstanding student scholar, an exceptional graduate student leader, and a faculty mentor at an awards banquet at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb 22. Certificates of recognition will be presented to graduate students nominated by their departments for teaching excellence and distinguished scholarship.

The GSG would like to invite all graduate students, faculty and staff to attend the GRC and talk with presenters about their work. Students who would like to present their work can submit an abstract between now and Dec. 20 at the GSG website.

In addition, grad students should know that they may nominate a faculty member for the Outstanding Graduate Mentor award as well as fellow grad students for the Outstanding Student Leader award and Outstanding Student Scholar award. Graduate faculty may also nominate a student of theirs for the student awards. The nomination deadline for merit awards is Jan. 18, 2013. For abstract submission and nomination guidelines, please visit the Graduate Student Government website.

Printed in TechToday